Chapter 54: The Convoy

Evening.

The molten-gold, orange-red sunset slowly sank into the horizon. The drifting, aimless clouds were stained with the hues of twilight, decorating the firmament like an oil painting.

Under the dim light, the golden wheat fields swayed gently, emitting a subtle yet grand "shush-shush" sound amidst the shimmering, water-like ripples.

A dust-covered, sturdy wooden wheel rolled by with a "creak," splashing a few droplets of mud and leaving a deep rut in the soft meadow.

Xia Nan sat outside the carriage, leaning his back against the heavy cargo piled behind him.

On both sides of the road, the pastoral beauty of sunset receded rapidly in the jolting rhythm of the journey.

Feeling the soft breeze brushing against his cheek, he couldn't help but squint his eyes in contentment.

At this point, it was already his second day since leaving the tavern.

After confirming that the professional hired by Haian would not pass through Valley Town for at least another seventy days, he realized he had plenty of time.

And also to verify certain suspicions in his heart.

He had accepted the commission from Barn, the owner of the "Rock Hammer," joining the caravan traveling from Valley Town to Canfor as a guard.

To be honest, while this four-to-five-day round trip was objectively a job Xia Nan needed to complete with diligence—and indeed, he had prepared seriously and fulfilled his duties—from another perspective, for someone who had entered the Misty Forest twice in the dozens of days since his transmigration, this journey away from the monster-infested areas served as a small vacation.

Unlike the vast ocean of entertainment in modern society, while staying in Valley Town, Xia Nan’s life consisted of eating, sleeping, training combat skills, and at most, having a few drinks and chatting with the adventurers in the inn.

A day or two was fine, but over a long period, while still within the realm of endurance, it inevitably became somewhat tedious.

Now...

"Clatter, clatter."

The wheels, gradually slowing their rotation, emitted a jarring, staccato noise under the weight of the heavy cargo in the carriage.

The sound pulled Xia Nan back from his wandering thoughts to reality.

The sentry on guard duty had not made a sound, and there was no sign of disorder within the caravan.

Most likely, nothing was wrong.

Nevertheless, he jumped down from the carriage with practiced efficiency, unconcerned about the damp mud spots staining the surface of his boots.

He scanned both sides.

The sound of footsteps approached from the front of the caravan.

Appearing before him was the same honest-looking man Xia Nan had seen twice in Valley Town—the one who had remained silent in the face of "Drunkard Bernie's" provocation.

He was also the captain of the current caravan—

"Jeff."

From the man's steady and unhurried pace, it was evident that the caravan's stop was not due to an accident.

And indeed, that was the case.

Seeing that Xia Nan had already jumped down, the plainly dressed middle-aged man scratched his head and said candidly

"Mr. Xia Nan, we will stop here for today."

"Dinner is being prepared. It is... uh, a stew made by Mr. Alton. If you don't mind, you can have some in a while."

"Even though we are approaching Canfor, I'll have to trouble a few of you to help with the night watch tonight."

"Don't worry, it's what we're here for," Xia Nan replied with a smile and a nod.

Internally, however, he felt a bit strange.

Alton? Stew?

Recalling his memories of the past two days, his expression remained unchanged, but his mind was already considering whether he should just make do with the dry rations he had brought himself.

...

The caravan was small; even including temporary guards like Xia Nan, there were only about a dozen people in total.

It was much like the two children and their mother he had encountered on the road during his first mission's return.

On this continent, an invisible barrier existed between ordinary civilians and adventurers.

During the two-day journey, the number of times the caravan members proactively communicated with Xia Nan could be counted on one hand.

Even during rest and meals, the adventurers usually sat in one circle, while the others sat in another.

Only occasionally would the captain, Jeff, bring some small snacks over and use the opportunity to discuss the upcoming itinerary.

Tonight was no different.

Xia Nan sat around the campfire with several fellow adventurers.

Not far beside them, several carriages were parked in a deliberate, staggered fashion along the roadside.

This way, they wouldn't obstruct the vision of the night watchmen, and in the event of danger, the sturdy bodies of the carriages could be used as immediate cover.

Naturally, simple warning traps had been set up as soon as the decision to stop and rest was made.

The watch rotation had also been confirmed internally.

Xia Nan was responsible for the latter half of the night, so he needed to rest early to preserve his strength.

At the moment, he was spreading honey—which he had specifically bought from a grocery store before leaving—onto the strips of meat he had roasted warm in his hands.

In front of him, several adventurers were chatting idly

"Hey, have you heard? Some strangely shaped buildings were recently discovered in the Misty Forest. Maybe they're remnants of some ancient ruins?"

"That... hasn't a high-ranking adventurer from the Association gone to check it out? They found nothing."

"Huh? I thought there might be a secret realm or a spatial pocket or something."

"Even if there were, would it be our turn?"

"True..."

"By the way, you know about that incident with Bernie, right?"

"Of course, I was right there! That scene was..."

On the other side,

Xia Nan remained silent. He appeared to be focusing intently on preparing his food, but in reality, he had quietly pricked up his ears.

From the "strangely shaped buildings" mentioned by the others, he could roughly guess.

What they were discussing was precisely the otherworldly phenomenon he had encountered with the half-elf's party.

The dilapidated ruins stretched almost from the depths of the Misty Forest to its outskirts, making it impossible to escape the eyes of the adventurers who frequented the forest daily.

It was just...

"They found nothing?"

Come to think of it, the half-elf and Wood had also mentioned that even though they had reached the place where they disappeared, they hadn't been teleported into the cave.

If even high-level professionals couldn't discover the secret,

Did that mean there was something special about his own existence that allowed him to form a connection with that suspected "secret realm" cave?

And if one were to speak of his greatest difference from the natives of this world, it was only one thing...

"Thump, thump."

Heavy, sluggish footsteps came from behind.

Xia Nan instinctively turned around to look.

What met his eyes was a large iron pot, wobbling precariously, with hot soup occasionally splashing out from its sides.

Under the dim, fading light, the large pot seemed to be under some kind of spell, hovering in mid-air and swaying as it struggled to approach them.

But if one observed more closely, one could see a pair of exquisite high-top leather boots embroidered with clover patterns directly beneath the pot.

"The stew is here!"

"Help me, quick! I can't hold it!"

(End of Chapter)